


Ever Seen an Angel with Some Horns?

by rideswraptors



Series: Ever Seen a Devil? [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Businessman!Magnus, Chapters will be labeled if explicit, Cop!Alec, Everyone is Mundane AU, Multi, chapters vary in rating, some OCs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-06-22 04:52:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19660201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rideswraptors/pseuds/rideswraptors
Summary: Life after the wedding for Alec and Magnus.(Part 2 of "Ever Seen a Devil with a Halo?)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Friends, Enemies, & Nondescripts,
> 
> I suspect that you'd thought you'd heard the last of me. Well, you almost had. Because I fell down a Schitt's Creek hole and have not fully emerged from my David & Moira Rose obsessions quite yet. However!  
> I did promise to start posting part 2 of my monster this summer, and everyone tells me I'm a procrastinator, so here is the first chapter an entire month late.  
> You'll notice it's only a snid bit. If it feels choppy, you are correct. I usually post in chunks. I merely wanted to assure that I am alive, taking in liquids as we speak, and that the rest of the chapters are not fully blossomed, but well on their way to completion. You can expect these kinds of mixed metaphors, poorly explained references, and much, much more in this next installment of "Ever Seen a Devil with a Halo?" Which is so aptly titled "Ever Seen an Angel with Some Horns?" Because why mess with success?
> 
> Stay hydrated and ta for now,  
> Me.

Alec had never expected to have children. Before Magnus, he’d never expected to get married or even considered a family at all outside of his siblings and parents. But every month into their relationship, each passing year, the thought had continued to crystallize. Every afternoon spent with Madzie, every moment with his niece and nephew, every time he thought about Magnus just this side of too long: he thought about being a father. He thought about what it meant, what it would be like, what his child would look like, what  _ Magnus’ _ child would look like. Though, he didn’t like the idea of a surrogate. Not really. 

But he and Magnus were only just married. They were only just back from their honeymoon. They’d barely gotten into the swing of things again.

The honeymoon was delicious, phenomenal, and relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered. Alec came back high from being twisted up in all things Magnus. The trip was equal parts honeymoon and therapy. Magnus was able to show Alec some of the places where he’d grown up and then retreat to the safety of their secluded beach resort hut. Alec made him promise they’d be back someday. Magnus was surprisingly agreeable to the idea. 

He shrugged, “Having you there made it different. I don’t know--” 

Coming back home was a trial for both of them. They’d only spent two weeks away, but it felt more like a lifetime. Paperwork had piled up, but it felt like their whole worldview had changed. Magnus whined a lot the first week back, stating that he deserved to wake up to a pina colada in his hand. Alec just shoved him into the car and told Ernesto to drive away quick. 

Not two weeks after their return, Clary gave birth to Christine Lucia Wayland, who was already bigger than her cousin by two pounds, and didn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. They made Izzy and Simon the godparents, and Alec was starting to get a little offended at being left out. The women were quick to console him, but Jace, Simon, and Magnus all scowled at his smug grin at getting all of their attention. 

  
Because they were so well prepared for Madzie staying over, Alec and Magnus were first choice for babysitters. They were obsessed with their niece and nephew, and Magnus may have gone a little overboard with photoshoots, but it was all in good fun, and the babies seemed to be enjoying themselves when they were awake for it. As a result, however, far too many people started asking them if they were thinking about kids. They were frequently mistaken for Madzie’s fathers when out and about, and it would only get worse as the babies got older. So, Alec and Magnus made an agreement that they wouldn’t get caught up in Baby Fever, just because Izzy and Clary had Micah and Christine. In fact, Alec forced Magnus to actually sign a contract because he knew Magnus couldn’t keep to it. ( _ Alec _ was having trouble keeping to it.)

“So I was thinking…”

“Uh huh.”

“About Micah.”

“Uh huh.”

“And Christine.”

“Nope. Nuh uh!”

“Alec, I didn’t even finish!”

“We had a deal! No baby fever decisions!”

“I don’t recall--”

“There is a signed contract, Magnus. No.”

“Damn you and your meticulous clerical habits...Did you just move away from me?”

“What? No. Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Magnus swiped his arm out to show just how far his husband  _ had _ moved.

“You just moved away from me! Alexander, you do know we can’t impregnate each other, right?”

Alec scowled, taking another step away. “Ass. I don’t want you using your witchcraft to manipulate me!” Magnus feigned offense. “We said no baby decisions until the babies were at least 2 and being terrible.”

Magnus jutted a hip out. “You cannot possibly hold me to that.”

“--Which is why we signed a  _ contract _ .”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a very bumpy weekend, friends, and I just couldn't let it finish without something positive. Here's to a couple more chapters!

Alec ate those words, hard, at 6 AM two days later. He and Lydia were called in on a double murder. It was a grizzly scene. The woman was a known prostitute, who worked for a pimp their buddies in Vice had run-ins with pretty frequently. Her husband was a low-level dealer; pot, ecstasy, molly. Nothing hard, though. They’d both been shot, execution style, while cuddled up on the couch together. It looked like they hadn’t even had time to react to their killer. But this kind of scene wasn’t totally uncommon for the NYPD. They were surprised when there was a sudden shriek and crying from the bedroom. Alec went to go see what the commotion was about, Lydia hot on his heels. 

A tech had entered the bedroom to do a quick sweep, as the real scene was in the living area. He’d been startled by the laundry basket on the floor next to the bed, which turned out to be holding a baby who couldn’t be even a year old. The tech had shrieked and woken up baby, who cried. Alec instinctually shoved past the tech, who was frozen in place as if he’d stepped on a bomb (useless), and went to pick the baby up without a second thought. The baby instantly settled and flashed his big blue eyes up at Alec. They were dark blue, not the light blue both Christine and Micah had been born with. He had a dark, splotchy birthmark on his cheek and was swaddled in a worn powder blue blanket with the name “Matteo” clumsily embroidered on it. Despite the laundry basket crib, this baby was obviously very loved. Presumably, those were his parents on the couch. 

“Alec?” Lydia asked from behind him as he stood, transfixed by the little thing in his arms. “Alec, what do we need to do?” 

“Formula,” he said not lifting his eyes from the baby. “See if there’s some formula in the kitchen.” Lydia dashed off to do as he asked, obviously not as comfortable being around small children. “Hi there, Matt. I’m Alec,” he said quietly. “I’m gonna take care of you, okay? Don’t worry.” 

“Detective Lightwood?” the tech probed from behind him. “Should I call child services?” 

“No, Kent. I’ll do it. Finish up in here, get your report in.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Alec walked out of the room, still watching the baby closely. He didn’t take his eyes off Alec either, wriggling a bit in his swaddle, but still calm. He was a quiet little thing for someone who had just let out a blood-curdling scream. Lydia was standing in the kitchen having triumphantly found the box of the formula and was scrambling to find a bottle. 

“Is he okay? Is he hungry? What do we do?”

“Read the instructions, Lyds.”

“Right! Right, instructions are good. How much is a tablespoon? Like a handful?”

“All right, here,” Alec said, stopping her, “you take baby, I’ll make the bottle. Okay?” 

“Alec, I can’t--” She stopped short when Alec transferred Matt into her arms.

“Watch his head.”

“Yeah, I got it. I think.” 

She did. Alec made sure she had him before he set about making a bottle. Clary had decided not to breastfeed just because she didn’t want to have to pump on the job, Alec had gotten used to mixing up formula for Christine. It wasn’t a difficult concept, but people seemed to freeze whenever babies were involved. Alec quickly tested the heat of the formula and then moved to take Matt back from Lydia, who was frozen in place as if the baby would explode if she moved even a fraction. He picked Matt up in one arm and tilted the bottle up. 

He drank it down quickly, much faster than Christine ever did, so Alec could only wonder how long he’d been without a feeding. They didn’t have an exact time of death yet, but it was at least 6 hours before. So maybe a few hours longer? He’d read up on feeding schedules before, so it had probably been just this side of too long. 

“How are you so good with kids?” Lydia asked irritably. “I’ll never understand it.” 

Alec shrugged. “They’re easy for the most part. Just want food and attention.” Matt was about halfway finished, so Alec set the bottle aside and burped him before letting him eat the rest. After the second burping, Matt cooed up at him and then scrunched his face up. 

“Probably need to change him,” Alec mused. “Lydia, why don’t you get back to the station? Call child services and ask them to send a pediatrician over to my place.”

“Your place?” she echoed.

“Yeah, Magnus is registered as a foster parent. He can keep little Matteo for the day.” 

“Got it. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

Alec smiled down at Matt, “I think we’ll be good.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I debated for a very long time about whether to name the baby Max or something else. It seems weird cause I'm like 90% certain that the kids are named after dead people in the books, so I didn't wanna do that here. Matteo seemed like a good compromise.


	3. Chapter 3

Magnus was on the sofa reading emails when Alec walked in.

“Hey, angel, why are you--?” He stopped short, brows raised when he caught sight of Matt in Alec’s arms. “Alexander, when I said I wanted a baby, I didn’t mean _this_ week.”

Alec shrugged and his husband sighed. He came over and plucked Matt right out of Alec’s arms, holding him like it was old hat.

“Your sister will never let me live this down, you know. _Magnus says he wants a baby and Alec just goes and_ finds _one_!” he said, mocking Izzy’s voice. “ _Did you suggest that_ maybe _you would be sad if you didn’t have a baby? I mean, how was Alec to stand for it?_ Good god, it’ll be awful.” 

“You asked for a baby, you get a baby, papi. I don’t see the problem here,” Alec teased smugly. Magnus lifted his brows unimpressed. It was super cute, but Matt looked at Alec at the same time, expression blank. “Pure coincidence,” Alec explained dumbly.

Magnus just shook his head and went to grab his keys from the table. 

“Where are you going?”

“The store, Alexander. Because we have a thousand things to buy, and you have to explain where you just happened to coincidentally find a baby.” 

Alec texted Lydia to let her know it would be a little while before he was back. She let him know that she was going to get in touch with Matt’s extended family. There were a few options as to who could take him in. Alec just told her to keep him updated as he followed Magnus around the store. Magnus had Matt and Alec had the cart. Magnus babbled on to Matt, nonsensically asking for his preferences, while Alec kept a mental tab of what they were purchasing. Magnus tended to overdo it in even the least complex of situations. This was significantly more so. 

“So you just found him...at a crime scene?” Magnus asked bewildered. 

“Just found him? No. It was his parents…”

Magnus turned back slightly, a dark look in his eyes. He flicked his gaze back to Matt’s head, then right back to Alec. He mouthed the word _dead_ , and Alec was forced to nod. Magnus’ lips went into a tight line, but not a fraction of a second later, he was talking sweetly to the boy and asking if he liked puffs or cheerios better. Alec could tell that in the short two hours Matt had been with them, Magnus was already attached. He checked his phone, wondering if Lydia had made contact. Maybe this had been a bad idea, but honestly...it could be a test run for them. And Matt was a good baby, so there was no harm in it for now. He was trying not to get his hopes up that Lydia wouldn’t find a family member. It just seemed too...perfect. 

They spent an absurd amount of money in a very short amount of time, and Alec wasn’t surprised by any of it. There was so much of it, that some of it would have to be shipped over and assembled. 

“Do we really need all of this? I mean, he’s just one baby…”

“Yes.”

“What? No lecture about what babies need and yada yada yada?” 

“No,” Magnus said taking things out of bags while Alec held Matt. “Go pull out that blanket and put him on his belly for a little while.” Alec did as he was told and then went to help Magnus with the pack n’ play they’d bought in lieu of an actual crib. Even as he helped Magnus assemble it, he kept very close watch of Matt on the floor. Magnus teased him a little for being paranoid.

“He’ll be fine for a moment, angel.” 

“He lost his parents less than a day ago, Magnus...I just--”

“You’re feeling protective. It’s fine.”

“Is it? He’s just a random kid I found this morning. I shouldn’t...I don’t know.” 

“Yes, darling, Matt is some random kid you found. And Rodrigo was some random homeless man who lived on your block, and Javi was a random hooker who walked into your station, and all of the thousands of people you’ve helped or saved or protected were just random people doing random things. The situation hardly changes what you are.” 

“And what is that?” Alec snipped, feeling a little embarrassed. Magnus looked extremely unimpressed by that question and scowled.

“An intolerable mother hen, is what. Now, will you hand me pole B before I expire from boredom?” 


	4. Chapter 4

Nobody wanted Little Matt.

Correction, nobody outside the Lightwood-Bane household wanted Little Matt. This included not only Alec and Magnus, but Alec’s parents, Clary, Jace, Christine, Izzy, Simon, Micah, Max, Cat, Madzie, Ragnor, Raphael, and Lydia. Who were all crowded in the living room and kitchen to officially meet and play with him. So, in fact, a lot of people wanted Matt just not blood-related family members. It meant that Alec and Magnus had a decision to make. 

Although, after a week with the baby, there really wasn’t much of a decision. 

“Soooo…,” Clary said suggestively, batting her eyes as she sidled toward Alec. The effect was ruined completely by the beaming, blonde cherub in her arms. Alec snatched his niece and shielded her from her scheming mother. Who rolled her eyes.

“I was not about to ask you to babysit, you jerk,” she said, folding her arms. “I was going to ask if you guys know what to do about Matt.” Her eyes darted, as if it were some kind of big secret. More likely, she thought Matt would overhear them. 

Alec snuggled Christine close, dropping his nose to her head. “Has your mama been huffing old case files at work again?” 

“ _ Alec _ ,” she groaned impatiently. He smirked at her, pressing a kiss to his niece’s head. 

“Nobody’s called looking for him, relatives we’ve gotten in contact with didn’t know he existed and don’t want him, so…” Clary bit her lip, eyes bright. “Magnus adores him and...I love him so much I can’t see straight.” She squealed and went to hug him. Alec lifted one arm to accommodate her, while she hugged him and cooed at her daughter. 

“Ya hear that, Chrissy? You get another cousin!” 

Magnus wandered over, drink in hand while Robert and Maryse fussed over Matt. 

“Told her, did you?” 

Alec grinned and put Christine up on his shoulder, swaying his hips to keep her calm even while her mother was freaking out.

“You just got married!”

“Yes.”

“And now you have a baby!”

Alec locked eyes with Magnus, who was being infinitely patient and understanding of his family who had become incredibly invested in Little Matt’s well-being very quickly. 

“Yeah...didn’t plan it that way.” 

Izzy came over, grinning. “Uh huh, sure. Magnus didn’t say,  _ Alexander dahling, I want a baby so bad _ \--”

“I  _ told  _ you!” Magnus hissed. Alec passed his niece back to Clary and wrapped his husband in his arms instead. 

“I’m sorry,” he pressed a kiss to his temple. “She’s mean, papi, don’t listen to her.” 

Magnus sunk into the hug, sulking, “I did not ask you to go find a baby.” 

“No, he did not.” 

“But--” Jace chimed in, “we  _ are _ keeping him, right?”

They turned almost at the same time when Matt screeched while holding into Robert’s nose from where he was sat in Maryse’s lap. Micah squirmed away from Simon on the floor and crawled in his direction, while Christine started fussing and thrashing in her mother’s arms. She didn’t settle until Clary walked her over to the others, and cooed when she saw Matt. Micah pulled himself up on his grandfather’s leg, bouncing happily. 

“Absolutely.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ya ask for Raphael, ya get some more Raphael.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, fuck it, I added more chapters. Ya'll are getting spoiled t'night

Raphael was not fond of children. He liked Madzie Loss. She was a well behaved, polite, clean child. And he was fond of her mother. But he didn't spend an extended amount of time in her company, and he certainly wasn’t ever alone with her.

He’d never been alone with a child, period. It wasn’t as if parents were frothing at the mouth to leave their precious bundles of joy in the care of a heroin addict. Sober or not, Raph _was_ an addict. And he certainly hadn’t anticipated Magnus _fucking_ Bane leaving him alone with a child for an afternoon, of all life’s absurdities.

He and little blue-eyed Matteo stared at each other. Raphael sat on his sofa, Matteo cradled in his lap, where Magnus and Alec had left them fifteen minutes before after showing up unannounced. 

On the day they signed the adoption papers, neither man has hesitated to ask Raphael to be Matteo’s godfather. No one had come forward. It disturbed him to no end that not a single person had come forward to claim this little person as theirs. So he hadn’t given himself a moment to reflect before accepting. 

Raphael knew what it was to be alone in the world, and he was determined that his godson would never feel that way for even a second.

That did _not_ mean he knew how to change a diaper. 

“Look, mijo, I like your fathers as people sometimes, but _you_ are the favorite. Comprende?” Matteo blinked at him. “Also, you are learning Spanish. Non-negotiable. Then we can talk about your papa without his embellishments and excuses.” Matteo yawned, squirming only a little. Raphael realized that Matteo was usually wrapped up in a blanket, presumably to be kept warm. He didn’t seem cold, but better safe than sorry. He tucked the boy against his shoulder and shifted to grab the nearest blanket. He tucked it around Matteo’s little body and settled back into the sofa. The baby sighed-squeaked in response. His eyes fell closed and his baby hands went limp. Asleep in seconds. 

Raphael angled his head to watch his face. He didn’t know where it came from, but the urge to sing bubbled up and there was no audience to embarrass him.

“A la nanita nana, nanita ella. Mi niño tiene sueño, bendita sea, bendita sea.”

The melody came out shaky, not as smoothly as his mother’s voice, but well enough. Matteo didn’t seem to mind. Raphael thought he could probably get used to the idea of being someone’s godfather. 

Well, he could get used to the idea of being Matteo Lightwood-Bane’s godfather.

Before he recognized what was happening, Raphael was falling asleep with Max nestled on his chest.

He was startled awake sometime later when the front door to his apartment shut lightly. He’d always been a bit of a jumpy sleeper. It didn’t take much to get him to his feet. Surprisingly enough, he felt calm despite the intrusion. Thankfully, it was just Magnus, who pulled an apologetic face before tiptoeing over to get a look at his son.

“How long has he been out?”

“What time is it?” Magnus lifted his brows, looking ready to tease. Not today, Satan. “Sorry, haven’t been sleeping well. Must have drifted off.” 

Chagrined, Magnus slid on the couch next to him, dropping his hand to Matteo’s back. “It’s all right.”

“Shouldn’t sleep with a baby like that. It’s dangerous.”

But his friend rolled his eyes, “He’s fine, you’re fine. No harm done. Plus he seems pretty comfy where he is.” He arched a brow and Raphael scowled, which forced a chuckle. “He’s had a hard time sleeping without one of us nearby. Lucky for him I’m a night owl and Alec has been on 14-hour stakeouts with only Jace for entertainment.” 

Raphael went right past that one. “Where is he, anyway? Thought you’d be gone longer.”

Magnus shrugged. “Murderers don’t recognize the value of date night. Plans got cut short.” 

“Too bad.” 

“Meh, we were mostly using it as an excuse to make out anyway.” 

“Absolutely disgusting.”

“You try getting married and finding a baby randomly, and see what it does to your sex life.” 

“No thanks,” Raphael said sardonically, “to all three.” 

Magnus scoffed and leaned onto his shoulder to look at Matteo’s face. His hand was still on the boy’s back and he rubbed his thumb back and forth gently. If you’d asked Raphael six years ago if Magnus Bane would be a love-struck, married man with a baby to take care of, he would have glared at you and asked if you were medicated. Even three years ago, when Alec had come into the picture, he hadn’t been convinced it was any more than one of Magnus’ intense flings. 

He remembered the day he knew Alec Lightwood was sticking around all too clearly. Not because anything important happened that day. Actually, Raphael couldn’t remember anything important happening that _month_. Their lives had been drama-free wastelands. And maybe that’s why the whole exchange had struck him so hard. 

A packet had arrived from Indonesia for Magnus. But the packet was not addressed to “Magnus Bane.” “Magnus Bane” was the name the owner of it gave himself after leaving Indonesia. The packet was addressed to Magnus’ legal name in Indonesia. 

“Who is Harta Kusuma?” Alec had asked, picking the envelope up to examine it. Raphael had barely reacted because it was not even a little surprising that Magnus had failed to inform his boyfriend of this tiny insignificant detail of his life. Raphael hadn’t known it until they went through their first major lawsuit. And Magnus hadn’t even told him, it just showed up in the documents. 

“Me.” Magnus hadn’t shifted his attention from his laptop, just continued typing away as if Alec hadn’t said anything of substance. Again, not surprising. 

“Ah,” Alec had said, tossing the envelope back onto the pile, “that checks out.” 

Now _that_ had caught their attention. Magnus, for whatever reason, and Raphael because it sounded like Alec had done a very thorough background check of his best friend without telling him. And Raphael was revving up to murder him with his bare hands. 

“Checks out?” Magnus drawled, brow arched. Raphael knew that look. Unfortunately, 5-0 wasn’t aware of the snake pit he’d just casually jumped down into. Not back then, anyway. Instead, he’d just shrugged.

“Governmental bodies are notoriously stupid when it comes to using dead names on legal documents.” He pointed in the general direction of the packet. “Garroway used to make me check Hodge’s reports for that nonsense. I really don’t think it’s that difficult of a concept.” 

Magnus hadn’t responded. He’d just stared, dumbly, expressionless. So had Raphael. In the entirety of their acquaintance, Magnus had not met one person who did not lecture him on the importance of family and heritage and being true to his roots. Not one. Even Raphael thought it was a bit absurd how much had he distanced himself from anything Indonesian or Pan-Asian related in their early years. He’d subdued quite a bit, become nostalgic, but the principle stuck. 

Raphael had watched Magnus lick his lips, clear his throat, and try to formulate a response.

“It’s just a name.”

Alec had scoffed, evidently unaware of his effect on Magnus. In fact, Alec wasn’t even paying attention to him, he was wandering around fiddling with the random things Magnus kept in his office. Like a child, but still. 

“It’s not _just_ anything. Harta Kusuma didn’t leave Indonesia. Magnus Bane did. They could show a little respect. It’s just passive-aggressive bullshit.” 

Magnus hadn’t responded to that either. He’d lifted his eyes to Raphael, who had been watching his reactions to all of this intently. For the first time, Raphael couldn’t really read him. It was almost like he’d rebooted his brain and the screen went blank. Something about whatever Alec had said was too much for him to process. Not that Raphael understood which part or why, and Magnus would be the last person in line to offer clarification.

But Raphael knew. He’d known right in that moment how much they were going to mean to each other. It had only been a few months in, too, if Raphael recalled correctly. He’d never once questioned their relationship after that. It wasn’t a logical decision. Just a gut one. 

Out of nowhere, Raphael found himself chuckling. Magnus smiled, tilting his head up.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he answered dismissively, almost not wanting to tell him. He did anyway. “It’s just--heroin is the best thing that ever happened to us.” Magnus’ incredulous look was pure comedy, and Raphael wished he had a camera. He laughed so hard that he jostled Matt awake, but he was so relaxed and comfortable that he just glared grumpily at his godfather. 

Raphael leaned to kiss his forehead. “If I hadn’t been addicted, Joe wouldn’t have come around. And if Joe hadn’t come around, we never would have met Clary…” he trailed off, a little irked that he even needed to complete the thought. Magnus smirked.

“And if we hadn’t met Clary, I wouldn’t have met Alec, and now you _love him_ ,” Magnus teased, grinning like a loon with bright eyes. Perish the thought of being the object of Magnus Bane’s amusement. 

“ _Yes_ ,” Raphael agreed reluctantly. “I...am fond of him.” Magnus nearly fell off the couch laughing. “Absolutely rude, sir.” 

Magnus was wiping tears from the corner of his eyes, “It took you three years to say that.” 

“It did.”

Magnus got up to smack a kiss to his best friend’s cheek and cuddle against him with Matteo as their center point. 

“I love you, you absolutely ridiculous human being.” 

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Alec couldn’t get any more time off. Logically, he knew this. Logically it would be ridiculous to request paternity leave. Matt was at home with Magnus. Magnus could work from home without a problem. Matt was with Magnus, Alec was logical, and there was nothing wrong with this.

“You miss Matt, don’t you?” Lydia said after an hour of Alec staring off into space instead of looking through bank records. Startled, Alec dropped his pen.

“What?”

“You haven’t turned a page in twenty minutes and your hand is on your phone. Which you’ve checked a hundred times. Possibly because Magnus is texting you pictures?”

Alec narrowed his eyes at her. “Witch.”

“Uhhh,” she argued, “woman with common sense.”

Alec shoved his phone away from him. “We’ve had him for three weeks officially. I should not be feeling like this.”

“He’s a baby, not a new co-worker. We don’t need to warm up to our young. He’s yours and you love him and you miss him. It’s fine.”

Alec grunted in response. He didn’t really believe her, and silently decided to stick it out at work. The separation wasn’t going to get any easier, so he was just going to have to get used to it. He dove back into his paperwork, trying to get into a rhythm that felt familiar. The papers got easier to get through; he relied more heavily on his checklist because he consistently drifted, but the work was getting done. So there was that.

Three and a half hours later, Alec lost his track completely when his phone dinged. He probably looked stupid scrambling to unlock it, but he really couldn’t find a shit to give. Matt’s sweet little face popped up on the screen. The baby was smiling big and bright at something Magnus was holding in his hand. He could only assume it was one of those thousands of toys his mother had bought and brought over. The caption was short and sweet. 

_ Having fun but miss you _ . 

He looked up to see Lydia smirking over at him.

“Shut up.”

“It’s only an hour.” 

“Might as well be ten.” 

Alec didn’t end up going home in an hour. He went home after another 5. He and Lydia were called out to a crime scene, they were fairly certain was accidental. Manslaughter at best. But they did their due diligence and filled out the paperwork before going home. Alec was exhausted when he tossed his bag into the entry closet. It was late, and he hadn’t even allowed him to think about the fact that Matteo would already be in bed and that his husband was probably already asleep. He was too disappointed about it all to dwell on it. 

Most of the lights in the apartment were already off, but Alec was surprised to see the guest room light on. Technically, the guest room was now the kids’ room, which was fully stocked with baby gear and Madzie favorites. Matteo was supposed to be set up in there, but they’d been keeping him in their room overnight pretty consistently. Alec didn’t trust the baby monitors and Magnus didn’t trust that Alec wouldn’t get up every 20 minutes to check on him. He was right. 

Alec found himself walking in that direction, not bothering to get comfortable first. He usually took a shower after coming from a crime scene, but he just wanted to put eyes on his boys. He’d feel better once he’d seen them. 

Magnus was at the changing station, talking at a naked, squirming Matt, who batted his hands and squealed intermittently. Alec leaned against the door frame, arms crossing as the tension drained out of him. He hadn’t realized how quickly everything and everyone in this small corner of their apartment had become such an integral part of his world, his touchstone. He watched his husband dress their son for bed and couldn’t imagine a better life for himself. 

Magnus caught a glance at him from the corner of his eye. 

“He-ey,” he crooned, lifting Matt into his arms, “look who’s home Mattie, it’s  _ Daddy _ .” He swayed over with Matt trying to leap out of his arms, screeching at Alec already. Alec couldn’t stop his chest from tightening unbearably at his new title, couldn’t prevent the wide grin taking over his face, didn’t even think twice before kissing Matt’s face even though he was batting his little hands at his face and kicking his stomach. Magnus leaned in for a kiss, which Alec obliged until Matt’s swinging fists made him laugh too much.

“Okay, slugger,” he said, adjusting Matt on his hip and kissing Magnus properly one more time. “Missed you guys today.” 

“New case?” Magnus asked casually, trying not to look annoyed. He was failing pretty hard, and Alec couldn’t blame him a bit. Evenings were supposed to be Magnus’ downtime. He worked all day and was taking care of Matt the whole time, he should have been able to relax a little. Alec smiled sheepishly.

“Stayed late to do the paperwork. I can go in at noon tomorrow. Give you a break.” Magnus’ answering look was so reminiscent of their early days of dating that Alec’s poor heart almost couldn’t take it. Alec grinned and bounced Matt on his hip, making him giggle and then yawn. “We should talk about that, actually,” Alec said slowly, looking back at Magnus. His husband tilted his head, brows raised. “An administrative position opened up. Garroway put in my name for consideration.” 

“Administrative?”

“Office gig. 9-5. I’d have to take the sergeants exam which isn’t for another month, but--”

Magnus bit his lip. “Tea?” he asked mildly, shifting his weight. 

Alec leaned forward a kissed him soundly, “Better make it vodka.” Magnus hummed in agreement. “You go, I’ll put him down.” Alec watched him go for a second before turning back to Matt, who was already nodding off. Fighting it, but definitely sleepy.

“Okay, sir. What are we reading tonight? Curious George or Dr. Seuss?” Matt squirmed but otherwise didn’t react to that question. “Dr. Seuss it is.” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ft. Lydia & Raphael

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lydia is going to be such a big player this go around! I'm very excited for her and I'm very excited to share her cute journey with you!
> 
> New chapters 6 & 7
> 
> So I just checked and I am 50k words away from 1,000,000 words in my overall word count on AO3. Therefore, I have decided that this installment will be approximately 50k words in length. Which means ya'll are getting hella content.

Lydia had less than no experience with kids, let alone babies. She’d never even held a baby until Alec put Matteo in her arms that first day. She’d held him since, of course, but she always hovered on the edges of any gathering. There were plenty of arms willing and able to give the new dads a break. Lydia was still trying to wrap her brain around the whole thing. 

Which is why she was incredibly flustered when both Magnus and Alec darted out of the apartment to go help their elderly neighbor, leaving Lydia alone with the baby for the first time. He was in the pack and play thing, laying down and totally safe. Lydia was standing in the kitchen away from him and feeling very unsure of herself. 

Logically, she knew that Magnus and Alec would only be gone for a short while. An hour tops. Nothing  _ that _ bad could happen in an hour, right? But Lydia was also a cop, and she knew the worst things could happen in less than a minute. Maybe if she didn’t touch him or move him or startle him too much, they could get through this without any mishap? 

That’s when she heard the first whimper. 

According to the autopsy reports, Matteo’s parents had been dead for 63 hours before they arrived on the scene. That was almost three days. Three days that Matteo had gone without food or cleaning or attention. The social worker told her that babies who didn’t get attention from crying eventually just...stopped. They stopped crying for anything. Alec had been so overprotective and anxious about it those first few weeks. Alec assumed that Matt’s initial outburst was because he’d been startled by the techs coming into the apartment. He hadn’t cried much since then. So the fact that he was making a crying sound now, with her, all alone and not a father in sight, was alarming. 

Irrationally, she ran over to the pack and play, shushing him. As if he cared about her mounting anxiety. She leaned over the rail, waving her hands a bit desperately to distract him as much as possible. It wasn’t working. Like at all. His crying got steadily louder. 

“No,” she moaned, “Matt, no, please don’t--don’t cry--”

“What’s going on here?” 

Lydia whirled around to find herself coming face to face with Raphael Santiago. They’d spent plenty of time together in group settings, with someone to mediate their interactions. Raphael was terrifying. And Lydia had spent plenty of time in the company of terrifying men, so she knew. But he’d never done anything remotely suggesting that he was a threat to her or anyone she cared about. Alec actually liked and respected the guy. He was godfather to their baby, for fuck’s sake. Godfather! Right!

“Thank god,” she said tugging him toward the pack and play. “They stepped out for just a minute to help or whatever and I didn’t even do anything and he just started crying--”

Raphael covered her mouth with his hand, eyebrows winged up. “Stop talking.” She nodded. “If I let go are you going to be quiet?” She nodded again, so he released her. Lydia shook off the shudder that went down her spine, and he took a step back to appraise her. “Right. Abusive ex-husband, sorry.” 

Lydia shrugged. “You’re asexual.” His responding look was incredulous. “Sorry, I heard Magnus refer to your  _ asexual ass _ one time, just feeling a little defensive. Are you--are you going to help Matt, or--?”

He smiled and ducked down into the pen. It was the first time she noticed that he had a bag on his shoulder. A diaper bag. Not the diaper bag the guys carried around either. She heard his soft murmur and a coo from baby Matt, before he straightened again. 

“Just wanted his pacifier,” he told her with a smile. “Falls out sometimes and he gets lazy when he’s sleepy.” 

Lydia let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. 

“So he’s not like...hurt or something?”

Raphael laughed through his nose. “No. He’s fine.” He put his bag down and shoved his hands in his pockets. “First time around a baby?” he asked gently. Lydia was surprised that she didn’t hear any judgment in his voice. Raphael was so  _ good _ with Matt. Even Mrs. Lightwood said it. She found herself nodding and crossing her arms around her belly. 

“Yeah,” he followed up, “mine too.” Lydia’s face must have been really something because he immediately cracked up, causing Matt to fuss. He went to pick him up, fluidly moving him in his arms until he settled in a cradle-like position. Matt let out a whine and snuggled into Raphael’s chest, chubby fingers clutching the lapel of his jacket tight enough to wrinkle. Raphael held it instead.

“Magnus’ idea of teaching is tough love. Exposure therapy. They invited me over one night and just left.”

Lydia felt her eyes bug out. “They just left you? Like did you even know what you were doing?” 

“Sort of?” he said, swaying slightly, his hold on the baby very sure and casual. “I’d watched them do it plenty of time, helped out a bit. But I didn’t want to be alone with him. Thought I’d hurt him or something or...I don’t know. I don’t know what I thought would happen.” 

Lydia bit her lip and took a step forward to put her hand on his little baby foot.

“Henry wanted kids. Or, he said he did.” Raphael stayed silent. She shrugged. “I didn’t. I didn’t want  _ his _ kids. And I didn’t want  _ my  _ kids to have him for a father.” Getting this out was hard. Really hard. But it felt important to say. Maybe lancing the wound with someone who didn’t know her well enough to doubt her would help. Maybe it would hurt less.

“I tried to get my tubes tied.” She felt herself nodding. “The doctor...they wanted me to wait because I was young and married and they wanted me to think it over or whatever.” She sniffed. “He answered my phone when they called to remind me about the follow-up consult.” 

“Shit.”

“That wasn’t the first time he hit me, but it was the first time I ended up in the ER. Alec was the one who busted down the door and drove me. He stayed with me the whole time and kept me at his apartment for months. I mean, I barely knew the guy and he brought me into his home, kept me safe.”

Raphael actually smiled at that. 

“I know the feeling. Magnus--he’s done more for me than I can ever repay him for. I’d be dead a few times over without him.” 

“Seems like we lucked out in that department.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Right,” he said with a little more energy. “Matteo needs changing,” he put the baby in her arms. “And you’re on duty, detective.” 

“Raphael, I don’t--” 

“I’ll get your supplies. You need a diaper, wipes, and just in case? Ointment. That’s only used if he has a rash. And before you ask, rashes are red. You’ll know if he has one.” 

“Do I just-?” she gestured to the floor and Raphael’s displeased expression told her all she needed to know. Incorrect. 

“Changing table’s in the nursery.”

“Right.” She adjusted her arms which caused him to fuss and squirm, his little baby face breaking into an unhappy, pained expression. He let out a dry wail. “Oh, no, I didn’t-!” She bounced him a little, shushing him. Raphael just shook his head at her panicked plead for help.

“Look at his face. No tears. Just uncomfortable. Let’s go get him cleaned up.” 

It was a very slow, fumbling process. Nothing crazy happened. He didn’t pee in his own face like Magnus claimed he did so often. And there was no poop or anything, but she felt uncomfortable holding his leg too tightly or trying to get him to sit still. He started wiggling like a damn worm in the rain.

“Smooth the tab over the front.”

“I can’t get--!”

“Okay be gentle.”

“He won’t stay still!”

“He’s a baby, Lydia, not glass.” 

“It’s gonna hurt him--”

“No, it won’t,” Raphael told her with infinite patience. “Just hold his leg still and button it up.”

“I’m  _ trying _ !” 

Matt started wailing.

Meanwhile, Magnus and Alec had returned and were currently standing just outside in the hall, backs to the wall while they listened to their friends on the other side.

“Think they know we’re here?” Alec muttered.

“Nah. Raph wouldn’t be caught dead being helpful.”

“Not even for Mattie?” 

“Only if he knew we wouldn’t see it.” 

Alec laughed softly through his nose and slid an arm around Magnus’ shoulders to press a kiss to his head. His husband cuddled in against him, hand clutching his sweatshirt. His heart was beating pretty fast. Alec knew it was probably because he was so overwhelmed at how quickly Raphael had taken to Matteo, how much love he had for a little boy who didn’t belong to anybody. Magnus wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, but Alec was just bandaiding the situation until he was. Little bouts of self-care. Trying to keep the focus on Matteo as much as possible. Alec tightened his grip.

“You sure you’re okay if I ask her?” 

“Of course,” Magnus answered quietly, “no one better.”

“Think she can handle it?’

They startled a little at Lydia’s low growl of frustration.

“Santiago, if you smirk at me like that one more time, I will kick your ass, baby, or not!” 

“You put his leg through the armhole.”

“How did that even get off!?”

Magnus tilted his head back to look up at Alec, who was grinning as they listened to Raphael continue to heckle Lydia.

“We should probably go in and save her,” Magnus said with a sigh.

“Just this once,” Alec agreed, “then we throw her to the wolves like we did your boy.”

“It was an effective strategy.” 

“Your best one yet, papi.” 

“ _ Stop. Moving! _ ” Lydia groaned from inside the room.

“Please go save my son,” Magnus begged him. Alec smacked a kiss to the top of his head and spin on his heel to go into the nursery.

“Hey Lyds, we’re back. Thanks for--oh hey, Raph...what’s--Is that a bib?” 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Chapter: 8  
> Lydia gets a boyfriend! Guess who doesn't like it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all have been very patient with me, so I wanted to make sure I got something put up this week.  
> There's more coming! My goal for this fic is 50k words! And I really want to stick to that.  
> Also, side note:  
> This fic is taking on a broad spectrum of sexualities. My OC is a trans man, Raphael is still hella ace, and we're not really trying to figure out what Lydia is because she's not too concerned about it. Although, feel free to speculate I guess? So if you're feeling any kinda way in how those sectors are being represented, feel free to comment. I try to do my homework as best I can, but no Google rabbit hole is perfect.

Alec didn’t want to be at this party. He’d promised they’d go long before Matteo came around, and now he was sorely regretting it. Stupid RSVPs coming too early. Now he and Magnus were locked into attending this whole thing while Raphael was at home with Matteo. At least Lydia was there too...somewhere? He looked around the room, packed to the brim with friends and family of one Magnus’ old business school friends. Alec couldn’t remember the woman’s name for the life of him, but Magnus had told him to invite Lydia along so he’d at least know one person besides him. His illustrious husband was playing host and could hardly entertain him for the evening. But even Lydia, his own damn partner, had abandoned him now. Ah! A lifeline.

“Ragnor!” he reached out, snatching at the man’s elbow, all but clinging to him. “Thank god, I’ve lost Lydia and who knows where Magnus is.” 

Ragnor smirked as if Alec were a hyperactive child. “Your darling husband is beelining straight for us, and I’ve introduced the lovely Lydia to my dear friend Riley Haynes.” He used his drink to direct Alec’s gaze toward the pair of them, standing near the bar, talking and smiling brightly at one another. 

“Rag, unhand my husband.”

“Excuse you, he handed me. I was just telling him that I’ve introduced Lydia to Riley. They seem to be enjoying their conversation.”

“Riley?” Magnus parrotted dumbly, swinging around to spot his target. His brows shot straight up. “Very _much_ enjoying their conversation, apparently.” 

“I thought they’d have quite a lot in common--”

“Wait,” Alec said slowly. “Riley Haynes. As in the Riley I met at the AIDS fundraiser. Riley who is trans?” 

“The very one,” Ragnor said somberly. “Oh, there’s Annabelle, excuse me dears.” He sauntered off, unaware of the tension he’d left residing in the couple behind him. Both Alec and Magnus watched the couple, who were clearly having a good time and far too engaged with each other to bother noticing how they were being stared at. 

“We should tell her.”

“Absolutely not. That’s his to disclose.”

Alec scowled. “It’s not like a character flaw, but it’s definitely pertinent.”

“Riley is private--”

“Lydia is my partner and my friend. Nothing wrong with giving her a head’s up. Preserve both relationships.” 

“Preserve?”

Alec shrugged, “Lydia hasn’t dated much since the divorce. I don’t know--”

Magnus squinted at him, making him shift in place. “What are you not telling me?”

Alec wasn’t ready to let Magnus in on his suspicions. Magnus and Raphael already knew so much about each other. And maybe Magnus wasn’t cruel, but he’d definitely tease the shit out of him if he thought...Raphael _needed_ the teasing, in all fairness. Like, if he wasn’t such a stubborn ass, they wouldn’t have to mock him into submission. And then Alec wouldn’t have to lie to his own damn husband to spare his dumbass little feelings. 

“Nothing, I just don’t want Lydia’s first attempt at dating to be a complete disaster and scare her off.” 

“Not our place,” he said firmly. “It’s like getting a massage. Undress to your comfort level. Disclose information to your comfort level,” he reasoned. 

Alec shook his head. “There’s something messed up about that statement, but I can’t argue against it.” 

Magnus smirks sunnily and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.” 

  


*

Monday nights were still drink nights with Jace and Izzy. They just did it at one of their homes and rotated. Max sometimes dropped in, but he said there were too many babies now, so it wasn’t socializing it was _babysitting_. Admittedly, none of his siblings had a problem handing their child off to him when they needed a bottle or a diaper change, so his stance on the matter was fair. 

They were at Jace and Clary’s this time. Clary herself had requisitioned Simon for the evening to go to a gallery opening. Both Jace and Izzy were grateful they had each other for events like that because Jace would have fallen asleep and Izzy would rather look at autopsies. 

The babies were all in their little bouncer seats, jumping around, laughing, and batting their hands at things while their parents drank cocktails on the sofa and chairs nearby. They tried to talk about non-baby related things, but at present, three infants were occupying their whole world, and all at the same time. Jace was the worst about turning conversations back to talking about Christine. He was _constantly_ bragging and competing with Izzy because Micah was closer to her in age. Matteo was older, so he claimed it wasn’t “fair” to compare them. 

“Okay!” Izzy interrupted Jace’s third story in a row about Christine’s ability to turn over. “New topic. No baby stuff. Literally, anything but babies. How’s work, how’s your sex life, what’s the gossip at the precinct?” 

Alec winced at the sex life comment, if only because he knew Jace and Clary were having issues. Happens when you shoot a watermelon-sized human out of your body. Alec and Magnus didn’t have such problems, so he took a long swig of his Jack and Coke to avoid commenting.

“Lydia’s seeing somebody!” Jace said eagerly. “But she won’t tell us who it is or anything. Clary says the guy knows Magnus, but this jerk won’t tell me either,” he said tossing an accusing thumb in Alec’s direction. Izzy lifted a perfectly shaped brow. 

“I _knew_ it. She texted me something the other day and it sounded fishy, but she wouldn’t elaborate.” She swatted at Alec. “Who is it? You gotta know? Do we know him?” 

Alec sighed, his eyes darting to Matteo when he shrieked much too loudly. The boy grinned like a maniac when he got his father’s attention and bounced harder in his seat, flapping his arms. Alec smiled and shook his head, but didn’t appease him. He and Magnus were pretty bad about getting up every time Matteo made a noise. They were trying to be better. Teach him to self soothe and entertain himself a little. 

“Riley.” He gave Jace a pointed look. “Haynes.” 

“ _Oh_ ,” Jace intoned, “Does she---uh-- _know_?” Jace lifted his brows meaningfully, tipping his head.

“No. Magnus--” Alec bobbled his head.

“What?” Izzy demanded. “What doesn’t she know?”

“None of your business, that’s what.” 

“Hey, Lydia is like a sister to me, all right? If this guy’s a scumba--”

“He’s trans, Iz,” Jace groused, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, well, I don’t care about that,” she took an irritated sip of her drink, almost bored. “Why doesn’t Lydia know?” 

“Magnus insisted I didn’t tell her.”

“And this Riley hasn’t told her himself?” 

“No. Not that I know of, anyway.” 

“Well, it’s 2019, what is he waiting for?” 

“Magnus says that I’m allowed to have zero input.” 

“And you’re cool with that?”

Alec looked up at his sister, who narrowed her eyes in suspicion. He put his hands up defensively. “It’s not about Riley! I like the guy, okay? I just--”

“What?’ Jace demanded incredulously, obviously bored of the topic already. 

“I just think that...sometimes you can try _too hard_ to distract yourself.” 

That must have piqued Jace’s interest. “Why the hell would Lydia want to distract herself?” 

Izzy pointed an accusing finger at him. “You think there’s another guy!”

“What?” 

“No. I don’t think that.”

“You don’t think it because you _know_ it!”

“Spill the damn tea, Alec!” Jace said slapping the table impatiently. 

He pointed at Jace. “First off, I don’t know what that means.” He pointed at Izzy. “Second, I don’t know anything about another guy. It’s just a gut feeling I have.”

Izzy settled back against the chair, sulking and shaking her head at him. “Why are you like this? Why is it that every time something interesting happens and you have the cards, you play them so close to the vest that nobody else gets to have any fun?”

“Because he likes making us miserable, that’s why.”

“What have I ever done to deserve this kind of treatment? I tell you everything, you dick, and now I want to know _one thing_ \--!” 

Alec gestured between the two of them. “You’re pathetic, both of you.” He got up to get the next round of drinks. “It’s sad, truly.”

“Mattie,” Izzy crooned at her nephew from behind him, “your daddy is _no fun_ . No fun at _all_.” 

Matteo just blew raspberries in response, making them laugh, and prompting Jace to start bragging about his daughter again.

*

Poker night rolled around the next week, as it inevitably did. Lightwood family dinners were still a tradition, but everyone was out the door by 7:00 due to feeding and sleeping schedules. Raphael had been in attendance more frequently, spending time with Matteo instead of playing cards. Strictly speaking, he didn’t enjoy games or gambling. This time, however, Madzie was there, so she was taking up the whole of Matteo’s attention. She was playing with him, reading to him, singing songs and making up games. It was goddamn adorable is what it was. 

“She’s telling everyone at school that he’s her brother,” Cat said, interrupting his thoughts. Raphael looked up at her to find that she was just as intently focused on the children as he was. He couldn’t say why it was that he was so attached to Matteo since he’d come into their lives, but he was, and he wasn’t trying to hide it. 

“Might as well be,” he answered easily. “They spend enough time together.”

Cat snorted. “Sure. I just get very awkward questions during pick up.” Raphael laughed into his drink. Heterosexuals were so nosy when it came to private lives. He didn’t understand it for a minute. His point was proven slightly false when he heard Ragnor interrogating Magnus about a mutual friend. 

“Yes, it’s been what? Two months?” Magnus said nodding and checking with his husband for confirmation. Alec hummed and shot a glance in Raphael’s direction but didn’t say much else. Well, he wasn’t going to pretend to be a mind reader even if Lightwood thought he was. He scowled.

“What’s been two months, Magnus?” he drawled compliantly. If Lightwood wanted him to ask, he’d ask. Not that he understood why he had to listen to Magnus gossip about--

“Lydia and Riley Haynes. They’ve been seeing each other.” 

Raphael frowned. Probably more than he should have if Lightwood’s anxious expression was anything to go by. Though what he thought he knew, Raphael couldn’t be sure. They locked eyes for a second, but Alec just shrugged and looked back down at his cards. 

"Something wrong, Raph?" Magnus intoned a little too sweetly. 

"Not a thing. Just didn't know she was seeing Riley."

"Not been that long."

"Good for her," he muttered, focusing on his cards and drink more intently. 

Now, there was not a person in the world who knew Raphael Santiago better than Magnus Lightwood-Bane knew Raphael Santiago. They’d been educated together, lived together, built a business together, and their lives were almost intertwined at this point. Raphael was asexual, but he was not aromantic. He grew deeply attached to the people he bonded with, even if he was cautious about who those people were. He’d had flings. He’d had sex with those flings, probably to get them to stay for more. But overall, he’d not had much luck in his love life, and he seemed to prefer to keep it that way. Ever since Joe, Magnus silently amended. He’d preferred to keep it that way ever since Joe. 

Joe had been one of Raphael’s misguided attempts at fitting in during his teenage years. His life had been a hotbed of sex, drugs, and gang violence, and Raphael had been drawn into it all. He managed to get himself addicted to cocaine, a habit he sustained in college, until he got set to rights by a concerned professor. He was cleaned up by the time Magnus met him in college. Mostly. But he was honest about his problem and went to Magnus whenever he was struggling. 

When they moved back to New York to start their business, Magnus had seen Raphael interested in someone exactly one time. “Interested” meaning more than just wanting a few dates with or casual sex or any of that. Rosie. _Rosalina_. She was a waitress at their favorite diner in Brownsville, who also worked as a maid at a hotel. She was sweet and sharp and wildly intelligent even though school had never really been an option for her. She had a slew of brothers and sisters she took care of and was constantly regaling them with their shenanigans. Magnus remembered thinking that Raphael had looked like he was in love. But he never said anything. Never mentioned it. Then Will died and Joe showed up again, and everything went to shit. 

Magnus knew what Raphael Santiago looked like when he was in love. He recognized that face anywhere. 

"She likes him,” Magnus said slowly, observing his friend carefully and trying not to spook him. “but I don't think it's serious." He cast a quick glance at Alec who met his gaze; they came to almost an immediate, silent agreement. And now Magnus had discovered the source of Alec’s resistance to the whole Riley-situation. It made much more sense. Despite their supposed hostility, Alec and Raphael were very defensive of one another. That little sneak, sitting on prime gossip like that. They were supposed to be _married_. Tsk, tsk. 

Raphael stiffened. "You think he's messing around on her?"

"Interesting conclusion you've reached."

"It's not funny, Magnus, if he's--"

"I just mean that it's the first time Lydia has dated since her divorce and Riley lives in a different country every other year. I think they're _both_ enjoying themselves."

"Oh. That's fine, I guess."

"You guess."

"Yeah, I guess. She hasn't said anything to me about it."

_Ding ding ding ding._

There it was. Alec tilted his head, lifted his brows, and pulled his lips in without saying a word. Magnus didn’t need much more confirmation than that. Full speed ahead. 

"I didn't think you two were all that close," he said kindly.

"We're not! I mean, we...spend a lot of time...together. With Matteo. It's...she's just never brought it up."

"Hm. All she seems to talk about with us. Women, am I right? Always got some crazy motiva--"

"She's not crazy."

Magnus snapped his mouth shut and grinned smugly. That's when Raphael cottoned on apparently. He took one look at Magnus' face and groaned. Tossed his cards on the table and finished his drink.

"I'm checking on my godson," he snapped, getting up from his seat.

"Now, if you'd just use your words, Raphael!" he called after him.

"Eat glass, Magnus!"

Magnus settled into his chair, chuckling to himself and ignoring the looks from his friends.

"What was that about?"

"What? That? Just teasing him."

"Why?"

"I need a reason to tease Raphael now?"

"Okay. Keep your secrets."

Alec tossed back his drink, too.

"Don't worry, Cat, I'll get it out of him."

"Disgusting? But thanks for being useful, I guess?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Matteo + his daddies goodness!!

Saturday mornings were becoming Alec’s favorite part of the week very quickly. It was the only time he had one on one time with Matteo, and he guarded it pretty viciously. Magnus was more than happy to sleep in, but Alec occasionally had to ward off unwanted visitors who wanted more time with him. 

Matteo was always up at five for his first feeding of the day. Alec would give him a bottle just to curb his little belly, and then put him in the high chair for mashed food. So far he was a fan of peas, squash, and carrots. They were holding off on fruits for dear life because Magnus was terrified he was going to be a sweet tooth like Micah and become an unholy terror at meals. Like Micah. Alec couldn’t exactly blame him. 

Matteo was ten months old now. He had a tiny mop of black curls and a heart-shaped face with chubby cheeks. His nose was broad, almost like Magnus’, and he had brown eyes that were so dark they were almost black. And he had coppery skin, the color of dark terra cotta. It reminded Alec of his cousins in Guyana that he hadn’t talked to in a while. By all accounts, he was a gorgeous baby, if you overlooked his big, blue birthmark on his face, and Alec was not a little in love with him. 

He gave Matteo his bottle out on the balcony, watching the sun come up, and made sure to bring a blanket to keep him warm. Matteo was content to hold his own bottle now, and stubbornly refused to pass it over until he was completely finished. Alec’s mother complained about the pace and the burping and whatnot, but as long as he wasn’t choking, Alec didn’t think it was a big deal. They sat together quietly for about five minutes, just content in the cool of the morning. Alec loved the warm weight of him in his arms, the soft press of his breathing, the adorable noises and cooing he made. He tossed his bottle on the ground when he finished it.

“Well that was unnecessary.” 

He belched. 

Alec looked down at him and cracked up when he saw the totally innocent look on his son’s face. He was kind of a little jerk and Alec kind of loved it. It reminded him of Jace sometimes, the way he just commanded attention. 

“All right, mijo,” he crooned, putting the baby on his shoulder to go inside. “Let’s go make your ayah some breakfast.” Matteo squeezed his arms around his neck and shrieked happily, so he was probably on board. Alec just winced and bounced him playfully. “No more playdates with Micah for a while, I think. They teach you terrible things.” Matteo just put his mouth on his chin in a weird, sloppy kiss-bite hybrid that could possibly be interpreted as an apology. 

“ _ Okay _ , I get it. You’re still hungry. Let’s go get the peas, hmm? Yummy, yummy peas.” He bounced Matteo a few times as he said, making him laugh and giggle wildly. Luckily he settled down a bit when he got put in his high chair. Sometimes he liked to smack the plastic table, kick, and screech until he had everyone’s attention. Alec was convinced he did it to wake Magnus up, to get him in the room. Magnus wasn’t convinced. He didn’t believe their child could ever be so conniving. 

Jace totally did. He said Christine would screech bloody murder until Clary came running. 

Alec set about preparing the rest of his breakfast, starting the toast, eggs, and coffee so it would be ready when Magnus woke up. He got the food processor out to blend up Matteo’s peas, spooned them into a bowl and then situated himself at an angle in front of his son. He’d lost too many work shirts to food flinging to ever sit straight in front of him again. 

Matteo ate eagerly, humming around each bite, following the spoon with his mouth open like a baby parrot. They had so many videos of him eating because he was absolutely hysterical. Only Christine was worse. She ate twice what the boys did and wailed like a banshee when she was hungry. She had at least five pounds on Matteo and was already getting most of her teeth. She needed more solid food than the boys did, that was for sure. At the very least, Matteo wasn’t a picky eater like Micah was. He tried anything and everything that was given to him, and wasn’t slow about eating it. Didn’t make as much of a mess. Alec thought it was so funny to see how different babies actually were, in everything from temperament to eating habits. Alec was pretty sure it didn’t have anything to do with the quality of parenting either. Matteo was just easy because he was an easy baby. Micah was a hellion because he was Izzy’s son. Simple as that. 

Alec got up to give Matteo a break and finish the eggs. He complained a bit, but was content to grunt and groan while he struggled to reach for the spoon in the meantime. Alec watched, amused at his progress. At least they knew food was a good motivator for the nugget. 

“There’s m’boys,” Magnus’ voice flooded the kitchen, groggy and fond. He was in his turquoise dressing robe with leggings, arms stretched up to reveal his naked chest. He winked when he caught Alec eyeing him, but ducked down to kiss Matteo’s face first. 

“Were you laughing so loud at daddy that you woke up your ayah?” Magnus asked in a baby voice while Matteo writhed and cooed excitedly for him. He smacked kisses to his plump cheeks, making the boy laugh. 

“Sorry,” Alec offered, flipping off the stovetop. “Tried to keep it down, but I can’t help that I’m hilarious.”

Magnus hummed as he sat to finish feeding Matteo. “I see the peas are going over well still.” 

“Famously,” Alec said, bringing Magnus his coffee, eggs, and toast. Magnus reached up to cup his neck so he could kiss his face. Alec let him, but then turned to kiss him fully on the mouth, which Magnus smiled into. 

Then Matteo screeched, gaining their full attention. They looked at their son in tandem, unimpressed even when his face crumpled into an adorable, gummy smile, and he lifted his bib up to chew on it. 

“We need a night,” Magnus said quietly, turning his face toward Alec’s while he was still bent over. He wasn’t lying either. It had been a few weeks since they’d had any alone time, any downtime. Magnus was putting more and more responsibilities on his managers at Pandemonium, becoming more of an owner in name. It was hard to watch, and Alec knew he’d want to start checking in more. They hadn’t planned for this. Hadn’t started shuffling things around enough to keep this as it was. Alec was already starting to think about more long term childcare. He was starting to think more long term in general. He’d already passed the sergeants exam, and the administrative job was going to open up in a few months when the current guy retired. Still, he wanted to enjoy things the way they were now. Soak all this up for as long as he could. He pressed a kiss to Magnus’ cheek. 

“I’ll call Mom.” 

“Please and thank you.” 

Matteo squawked and cackled when Magnus looked at him.

“You, sir, are a terrorist.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapters 9-10  
> TW: mental illness, discussion of schizophrenia  
> Some mild smuttiness

It had been another long day at the station. More mayhem that they had no control over. All Alec wanted was to see his husband and their son and then sleep for like...the next twenty years. The apartment was dark when he got there, which was unsurprising. Alec knew he’d missed dinner and bathtime which sucked because there was nothing cuter than Magnus playing with Matteo in their big clawfoot tub. They’d had him for four months now. Sixteen weeks. And Alec wasn’t sure that he remembered what their life had been like before him. 

In all the chaos of having a baby for the first time, Alec had let a very important conversation slide time and time again. Because he knew it would happen eventually. Magnus had to talk about it. Alec was just trying to give him the space to process and come to that conclusion on his own. 

Quietly, Alec put his things away and headed for the nursery, where he could hear the soft murmur of Magnus’ voice drifting. He sang to Matteo in Indonesian. Those were the lullabies he knew. Alec just wasn’t sure if he’d actually heard them from his own mother, or from the caretakers at the orphanage. Maybe both. It didn’t seem to matter. He sang to Matteo every night, holding him on his shoulder and swaying while Matteo scrunched his little body up and tried to fight it. 

Alec watched tonight’s performance from the doorway, leaning against the trim. Stupid in love. There wasn’t a thing about this picture that he didn’t whole-heartedly love. Even if he’d never expected it. Never thought he’d have it. Never thought a baby would fit for them anyway. But Magnus had taken to fatherhood like a duck to water, like he’d never not been ready for it. He rubbed small circles on Matteo’s little back and shifted his weight from foot to foot, rocking him to sleep while his deep voice rumbled in his mother tongue a melody of tones Alec hadn’t learned yet. He knew the curse words, sure. But not words like these. Not soft words. Until their honeymoon, Magnus had been convinced there was nothing soft about his homeland. That it had been all pain and sharp edges. They’d started to peel some of that back a little. He was getting there. Matteo was helping. 

It was like having this little person drop in their laps was smoothing out their roughened edges. Letting things scab over and heal a bit. Getting to show somebody the love you always wanted, changed the way you looked at things. Corny, but true. It was hard not to get all paternal, hard not to look at the kids they collared and want to fix it for them. At the very least, Alec wasn’t alone in that. He got the chance to talk it out with Jace and Clary who were going through the exact same thing. 

Magnus spun fluidly on his heel and caught sight of him in the doorway. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at him and pressed a kiss to the side of Matteo’s head. Magnus mouthed a  _ hold on _ , did another spin, and then set Matteo down in his crib. He fussed for all of a second before Magnus turned on his mobile which settled him right down to sleep, thumb tucked between his lips. 

“You know we can’t let him suck his thumb like that,” Alec whispered. But Magnus intercepted him, shushing him, and hurrying him out the door before anything could happen to upset the now sleeping baby. 

“Shh,” Magnus said again, “I swear, you’re in the house two seconds and he’s out like a light. Won’t sleep all damn day and then--”

Alec cut him off with a quick kiss, which turned into longer, deeper presses, until Magnus’ arms were around his neck and Alec’s back was to the wall. Despite opinions suggesting otherwise, he and Magnus were  _ far _ from out of their honeymoon phase. And adding Matteo to the mix hadn’t stifled a single impulse. Alec sunk his hands beneath the waistband on Magnus’ leggings, squeezing the curve of his ass and pulling him in closer. 

“Bedroom,” Magnus rasped, clenching his fists in Alec’s jacket. “Right now.” 

They stumbled and laughed their way down the hall. Shushing each other and trying to keep quiet, just in case. Alec manhandled his husband where he wanted him, taking the lead on getting rid of their clothing. Magnus was just pliant and responsive, and clearly needed more attention than he’d been getting lately. Alec made a silent promise to rectify that. 

They weren’t slow or careful with each other that night, but Alec was definitely more aware, more considerate. He teased until Magnus was too keyed up to take a proper breath before he provided any kind of relief. Maybe he was just more deliberate. Thorough. But Magnus wouldn’t accept hesitancy from him, or gentleness either, not here anyway. Not in their bed. 

They came slow and sluggish, release ripping out of them harder than expected. But it felt right. Felt grounding. Alec rolled off and pulled Magnus back into his arms, his husband already reaching for him. Alec still marveled at how easy it was for them to get tangled up together, calm and content and tucked away from everything else. Magnus pressed kisses to his chest, cuddling into his side, still rubbing against him. Alec stroked up and down his back.

“We’re gettin’ too old for doubles, papi.” 

“Hush,” Magnus teased, nosing along his neck. “I’m enjoying my husband.”

“Well your husband’s enjoying your enjoyment.” 

“ _ Hush _ .”

Magnus dropped to lean his weight more fully onto Alec and pulled the duvet to cover them both, and settled into a comfortable position. It said something that he wasn’t suddenly bursting with energy, trying to clean the apartment and get everything settled for the night. Sex for Magnus was like caffeine for everybody else. One good shot had him up and going. 

“You okay?” Alec probed softly, wrapping his arms around him, ready to comfort if necessary.

“Just tired,” Magnus answered around a yawn. “Been thinking too much.” 

“M’here when you wanna talk.” 

“I know,” Magnus sighed. “Love you.”

Alec didn’t respond except to press a kiss to the top of his head. He was asleep not long after.

*

Magnus was up before him. That was weird all by itself. Alec sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes. He hadn’t even heard Matteo cry. Which freaked him out. He checked the baby monitor. No baby on the screen. He jumped out of bed, panicked, and darted into the living room, only to settle when he realized that Matteo was spread out on a blanket, playing while Magnus lounged on the couch. Alec physically bent over and took a deep breath to calm himself, and his husband smirked at him like the asshole he was.

“Morning darling!” he chirped. Matt echoed with a squeal, though he hadn’t caught sight of his daddy yet. “Problem?”

“You  _ scared _ me, you jerk,” Alec grumbled, walking around to throw himself on the couch. Magnus crawled over to kiss him.

“Mattie got up stupid early and I couldn’t sleep, so I figured I could get him up for you today.”

Alec caught his cheek and kissed him again, a little more thoroughly, until he was smiling into it.

“Thank you.” Magnus wrinkled his nose and dropped to cuddle with him. Alec just lifted his arm to let him in and turned his attention back to the baby who was sitting up now and flapping a soft, plush book with his mouth open. When he threw it fully, they both laughed, catching his full attention. 

“A-dah!” he shrieked. “ADAH!” He rolled to his baby hands and knees and crawled like mad to get to the couch, pulling himself up and bouncing, babbling the whole time. Alec laughed, greeting him and using his free hand to lift him up onto his lap where he plopped into Magnus’ waiting arms. His whole little body shook as he wriggled in excitement, batting his hands against their stomachs and trying to reach their faces. 

“Well  _ somebody _ has a favorite,” Magnus grumbled.

“Oh please. He just doesn’t see me as much and he sees you all day.” 

Magnus sighed, leaning his head on his shoulder. “And I absolutely love that, but…”

“But,” Alec agreed with a nod. 

“Should we start looking for daycares?” 

“Somewhere close to your office. Just in case.”

“Just in case,” Magnus agreed. They didn’t say it out loud, but Alec was always organizing contingencies.  _ Just in case _ he got shot again.  _ Just in case _ he didn’t come home. If Matteo was close to Bane, Inc’s Brooklyn office, then Raphael would have easy access. His mom would protest almost immediately, insisting that she should take him, or at least have him closer to her, but Alec ultimately felt more comfortable with Raphael. For some godforsaken reason. He just knew their routines better. Understood what was expected. He’d...he’d know what to do if something happened and there was no one else around. 

Alec shook the thought away, not wanting to dwell on what-ifs and contingency plans when they weren’t even being used yet. Matteo was currently trying to get his socks off, presumably to gnaw on his feet. Why that was a thing, they’d yet to figure out. Everyone said he was probably just teething, but still. Kid was weird. 

“He’s got a doctor’s appointment next week,” Magnus reminded him quietly. 

“Yep. Cleared my day.” 

“You’re not--”

“I’m on call,” Alec interrupted smoothly. “But they’ll try to call someone else first.” 

Magnus sniffed. “When’s your interview again?”

“Unofficially? April 12th. Officially? There is no interview.” 

Magnus snorted at that, nuzzling into his shoulder. He’d probably breathe a lot easier once he knew for sure that Alec was going to be off the streets. That he was going to have a regular 9-5 job. 

“You talk to anybody yet?” 

Alec hummed, not wanting to answer. There were far too many people who would have far too many opinions about Alec’s choices. He wasn’t looking forward to telling anyone that he was considering leaving the 70th. It was almost unthinkable. The stupid thing was that he wouldn’t even be leaving the  _ building _ , just the squad. 

“At least your dad,” Magnus mused, fussing with Matteo’s onesie. “He knows. He gets it.” 

“I think he’ll be disappointed,” Alec countered.

“Yeah, well fuck that. He’s one to talk about disappointing people.”

Alec snorted this time, still impressed by Magnus’ virulence against his father in general. They’d made amends, but that relationship was quite tense. It would just take some time for them to simmer down. Of course, they had a silent truce, but that didn’t mean they were perfectly at ease with one another. Hopefully having all the kids around would change that a little. Not even Robert Lightwood could resist a cute baby face. 

“Speaking of,” Alec started slowly. “We’ve not talked about all of the stuff on your end of…” he gestured vaguely to Matteo, “all this.” 

“The stuff on my end?” Magnus echoed, a little stubbornly. Childhood-related subjects were guarded defensively, Alec knew this and understood it, but that didn’t mean he was going to back off of it. 

“Dead parents. Abandoned child. I think the shrinks would call it projecting or finding parallels.”

“And when’s the last time you talked to a shrink?” 

“Germany. Just before I was discharged.”

“What? Why--?”

“Look,” Alec sighed, tightening his grip around his waist and tugging a little at Matteo’s hair to aggravate him, “There’s no way bringing Mattie here didn’t stir things up or bring some bad shit to the surface. I’d just rather head it off and...talk about it before it gets to be too much.” 

Magnus was quiet for a while, and Alec let him be. It was a big ask and a lot to process, and he was perfectly aware that he was pushing at a very sensitive boundary. But it wasn’t about him, and it wasn’t even about Magnus, it was about Matteo. 

“There’s…” Magnus cleared his throat and trailed off. “There’s no  _ specific _ age that clears you for schizophrenia.” 

Alec bit his lip and nodded, not wanting to interrupt and shatter the delicate tension between the three of them. Matteo twisted in their grip, trying to wriggle down off the sofa and back onto the floor to find his toys. He’d be walking soon. Magnus didn’t continue and Alec almost couldn’t take it.

“Are you--are you worried you might…” he trailed off too and turned so that they could look at each other. Magnus’ expression was blank. Guarded. Hurting. Alec let out a pained breath. “No way. There’s just no way you’d ever--” He shrugged. “It’s not you. I don’t care what your mom did. You’re not your mom. You’re so much better and stronger than she was, and if it turns out there is something going on with you mentally, we’ll deal with it. Together.  _ All _ of us.” He reached to tip Magnus’ chin up, force their gazes to lock. “She was alone, Magnus. You’re not. You’re just  _ not _ .” 

A tear slipped, but he nodded and wiped it away, content to snuggle into his husband instead of addressing all of the what-ifs and contingencies. They just watched their son wreak havoc on their living room, holding onto each other. Alec’s job wasn’t any less dangerous just because he’d met Magnus. Magnus’ mental health wasn’t any more stable or reliable because he’d found Alec. But very quietly, they both thought that all of it was a lot less scary because they had each other. Finding Matteo, bringing him into their home,  _ raising _ him, was a lot less daunting because they trusted each other so much. And neither one of them could figure out how other people managed to do any of it on their own. 


End file.
